Monthly Bookkeeping Close Checklist

Write a monthly bookkeeping close checklist for [BUSINESS_NAME]. One person finishes it in about 45 minutes. This is the month. It is not a tax return, not a payroll run, and not a filed sales tax return. The weekly cash check is a different page. The owner fills in the facts. You turn them into a one-page sheet for the month they named, plus a blank copy of the same sheet for next month. Do not draft a customer email. Do not draft a sales tax filing. Do not mark the month closed. Facts, and only these facts: - Who runs it: [REVIEWER] - Which month: [MONTH] - Day and time: [WHEN] - Where the books live: [BOOKS] - Which account: [ACCOUNT] - Bank statement ending balance they already looked up, and whether it matches the books, or "blank", or "not checked": [BANK] - Charges still uncategorized, or "none": [UNCATEGORIZED] - Invoices still open. Each one needs the customer, the invoice, the amount, and who follows up. Or "none": [OPEN_INVOICES] - Bills still unpaid. Each one needs who you pay, the amount, and pay or hold. Or "none": [UNPAID_BILLS] - Sales tax, payroll, and owner activity they already looked up, or "none": [ALREADY_CHECKED] - Missing receipts they already know about, or "none": [RECEIPTS] - Who answers bookkeeping questions: [BOOKKEEPER] - One decision they already need to make, or "none": [DECISION] Format: 1. Title, [BUSINESS_NAME], version v1.0, the month taken from [MONTH], the day taken from [WHEN], and a blank "done" line with [REVIEWER]'s name. 2. Purpose in one sentence: once a month, [REVIEWER] writes what matched in [ACCOUNT], what is still open, and what [BOOKKEEPER] still needs before [MONTH] is ready to hand over. 3. A timed agenda. Six blocks. About 45 minutes. The blocks are: write the bank balance you looked up, list uncategorized charges, list open invoices, list unpaid bills, write only what you already checked for sales tax, payroll, and owner activity, list missing receipts. Do not add a seventh block for a tax return, a profit number, or a payroll filing. 4. A filled sheet for [MONTH], using only the facts: - Bank. If [BANK] includes an amount they typed, write that amount and nothing else beside it. If they wrote that it matches, or that it does not match, copy those words. If [BANK] is blank, "blank", or "not checked", write "Bank not checked. Leave the balance blank. Do not mark it matched." Do not subtract. Do not write a difference. If they said it does not match, add the line "Difference: not calculated on this sheet." - Uncategorized charges, from [UNCATEGORIZED] only. Each line says ask [BOOKKEEPER]. Do not assign a category, a tax code, or "personal". If [UNCATEGORIZED] is blank or "none", write "No uncategorized charges in the facts." - Open invoices, from [OPEN_INVOICES] only. Each line names who follows up. If an invoice has no name for follow-up, write "needs a name for follow-up" and do not choose one. Do not add a late fee, interest, a collection threat, or a "final notice". If [OPEN_INVOICES] is blank or "none", write "No open invoices in the facts." - Unpaid bills, from [UNPAID_BILLS] only. Keep the pay or hold they already wrote. If a bill has no pay or hold, write "needs pay or hold" and do not choose for them. If [UNPAID_BILLS] is blank or "none", write "No unpaid bills in the facts." - Three lines, always, for sales tax, payroll, and owner activity. Copy a sentence from [ALREADY_CHECKED] only when that sentence is about that line. If [ALREADY_CHECKED] does not mention sales tax, write "Sales tax: not in the facts. Ask [BOOKKEEPER]. Do not write a rate, a form, or a due date." Use the same shape for payroll and for owner activity when that topic is missing. Do not add a dollar amount, a date, a form number, or a rate they did not type. Do not call an owner draw deductible unless they already used that word. - Missing receipts, from [RECEIPTS] only. If [RECEIPTS] is blank or "none", write "No missing receipts in the facts." - A last line, in these words: Not closed. Hand this sheet to [BOOKKEEPER]. 5. A blank sheet with the same headings and empty lines, so they can print next month's close without running this prompt again. The blank sheet also ends with "Not closed." 6. The decision, from [DECISION] only. If [DECISION] is blank or "none", write "No extra decision this month." 7. A stop line, in these words: This is not a tax return, not a payroll run, and not a filed sales tax return. This sheet does not close the month. Confirm tax, payroll, sales tax, and what is deductible with [BOOKKEEPER] or an accountant before you record a number you did not look up. Rules: - If a field is blank or "none", say there is nothing in that block. Do not invent an invoice, a bill, a vendor, a dollar amount, a date, a customer, or a receipt. - Do not state a tax deadline, a payroll due date, a sales tax rate, a penalty, or a late fee. - Do not write a profit, a net income, or a suggested payment. - Do not tell them to move money, open a new account, or take a loan. - Do not say the month is closed, locked, or filed. The sheet always says it is not closed. - If [BOOKS] is not QuickBooks and not Xero, do not tell them to open QuickBooks or Xero. Name [BOOKS] as the place they look. - Do not write the customer chase email. Name who follows up. The email is a separate prompt. - Short lines. Start each agenda step with a verb. - No corporate language. No "liquidity", "optimize", "stakeholders", "circle back", or "ensure compliance". Related, for the owner, not on the sheet: Weekly Cash and Bills Check (/prompts/finance/weekly-cash-and-bills-check) is the week. This sheet is the month. Overdue Invoice Payment Reminder (/prompts/finance/overdue-invoice-payment-reminder-email) is the customer email after this sheet names who to chase. Invoice Mailing SOP (/prompts/operations/invoice-mailing-sop) is how the invoice went out. If the books are QuickBooks, the monthly P&L email (/automate/quickbooks/quickbooks-monthly-revenue-report) and the bank rules (/automate/quickbooks/quickbooks-bank-reconciliation-automation) come after this sheet is true. If the books are Xero, the monthly report is /automate/xero/xero-monthly-financial-report and the bank rules are /automate/xero/xero-bank-reconciliation-automation. Do not switch software from this sheet. Other ledger guides are /automate/category/accounting-bookkeeping. The SOP hub is /sop.